HOUSTON – This weekend’s victory for the Houston Texans came at a cost for fans who were in attendance.
Saturday’s highly anticipated matchup between the Texans and the New York Giants at NRG Stadium was met by an unexpected disturbance — roof damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Beryl.
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The powerful storm, which swept through southeast Texas in July, left behind a series of issues around the city including the roof damage which became brutal for fans during the preseason match-up.
Following the storm, representatives from NRG said they did not know how soon the roof would be repaired.
Now, six weeks later and with continued heat advisories hitting the Greater Houston area, some fans were so visibly frustrated at the sun that many opted to move to entirely different seats.
Carl Fulkerson said that he and his wife have been season ticket holders since 2006 and they typically love going to games but this one quickly became unbearable.
“Since we have been going there has only been a handful of times that the roof was ever left open during games, and it was only when the weather was nice or at night. Never during the dead heat of summer, just because the sun is brutal when you are sitting in the direct heat with little air movement. That was the case this last game where there is a large panel missing that allows the sun to directly shine down on the seats on the 100 level on the side of the visitor tunnel end zone,” he said. “It stayed there the entire length of the game, and the only relief came when a cloud would cover it for a bit, which was far and few between. The longer I sat there the more discomfort I felt and eventually got to where I could not sit there anymore and moved to a place where there was shade.”
PHOTOS: Roof of NRG Stadium damaged after Hurricane Beryl ripped through Houston area
NRG Stadium, known for its retractable roof, has faced criticism in the past for various maintenance issues. In 2008, the Texans had to postpone their home opener against the Baltimore Ravens after Hurricane Ike ripped five panels off the roof of the stadium, which at that time was called Reliant Stadium. That year, the team played all their home games with the roof open. The roof didn’t get repaired until five months later in February of 2009. The stadium, which opened in 2002, is one of the premier venues in the NFL and hosts numerous events year-round, including concerts and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Saturday’s game itself seemingly continued without interruption and despite the aggressively hot weather, the Texans ended up coming out on top, 28-10.
KPRC 2 reached out to NRG’s front office but has yet to hear back.
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